To Age Like Wine

Age is a great equalizer because rich or poor, male and female alike, go through the process of aging. Some go through it faster than they should, and some lucky few, a little slower than most people.

But how do we measure aging? Is it the lines on our forehead? Is it the tightness of our skin? Is it the color of our hair? Is it the dentures that we wear? Is it the insecurities that we bear?

Truly, devastating as it is, all of the above depict how well we age with time. They say that the more lines you have on your forehead, the older you look. And if your skin starts to sag somewhere, that's aging. On the other hand, our hair turns gray as we get older. Also, as we grow older some of us lose most of our teeth, which is a normal part of the body's wear and tear. Strikingly, though, as we get old, the more insecure we become.

In our present generation, most older people are not treated as an influential part of society anymore. In fact, most younger people have no regard for the aged. But some of us who maybe lucky to grow older are bound to form part of that existent but oftentimes neglected sector of society.

Insecurities of old age stem from a lot of factors. Physically, an older person is not as appealing as a younger one. And no amount of cosmetic repair can stop the body from aging---that's a hard fact!

If only most people realize that, they will not bother to consider putting their already aging bodies to more damage.

Emotionally, older people tend to feel like they are not needed anymore, so it is perfectly normal that smallest stuff get blown out of proportion. Mentally, older people's judgment is also diminished with aging, so cognitive responses and mental capabilities are slowly degraded. And aging spares no one.

What is the true measure of aging?

To me, it is all but the character of the person molded with time. How much has the person grown to maturity in wisdom and dignity defines how well a person has aged. After all, what we become on that last day that we breathe life in these bodies, culminates all the days of growing and aging. Aging is meant to be a graceful process of physical degradation as we try for character perfection. Not many people realize that. Most people believe that vanity can span lifetimes. If they could, they are willing to do cosmetic overhaul if only to preserve the physicality of things even after death. That's truly an absurdity beyond compare!

We do miss those youthful days of having gorgeous bodies, wrinkle-free looks and seemingly boundless energies, as we get older. But the glory of being wiser and smarter with time is sweeter and much more reassuring than the ever changing physical state of things. Indeed life is a process of growing, for we never really stay the same.

How many of us though has gone sweeter with the passing of time, much like a well-aged wine?